The tale of two buddies hitting the road and going on a bit of a tear is a plot familiar from countless books and movies. What makes the new “Sideways” film so interesting is the role played by wine in the story.
Miles is a wine geek, unsuccessful in marriage and career. Jack is his best buddy, an aging TV actor looking for one last fling before tying the knot. Off the two go for a weekend in Santa Barbara’s wine country, one thirsty for some hot wine, the other lusting for some hot women. Needless to say, things get complicated.
Yet from the optimistic beginning to the weary but hopeful ending, wine remains the unbilled third star of the film. Whether dissing merlot, teaching the basics of wine tasting or discussing with almost poetical beauty the ageless allure of that grape genie in the bottle, the characters never stray too far from wine–or wineries.
Primed for pinot
Santa Barbara’s winemakers should be standing outside the multiplex handing out free buckets of popcorn, for “Sideways” evokes the breathtaking beauty of Santa Barbara wine country and the signature polish and appeal of its wines.
Will the region’s star turn mean a higher profile for the wineries?
“That’s like asking in February what the bud break will be like,” said Jim Fiolek, interim executive director of the Santa Barbara County Vintner’s Association. Read that to mean “too early to tell right now.”
Fiolek said that people coming to the region are talking about the film, but so far there’s a belief that these folks are already customers of Santa Barbara wineries.
Santa Barbara County is located northwest of Los Angeles along that stretch of Pacific coastline that runs east-west rather than north-south. The mountain ranges funnel cold Pacific air and fog into the valleys, creating microclimates great for growing grapes. Within Santa Barbara County there are three appellations or AVAs (American Viticultural Area): Santa Maria Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Rita Hills.
The Wine Institute, a California wine industry organization based in San Francisco, reports that nearly 18,447 acres in Santa Barbara County were growing wine grapes in 2002. That’s small compared to Napa’s 43,000 acres and California’s statewide total of 481,266 acres for 2002. But that’s far more acreage growing grapes in Santa Barbara County than in 1992, when only 9,192 acres were devoted to grapes.
Increasingly, though, wine lovers are becoming excited about the pinot noirs of Santa Barbara County.
“In my mind, this is the preeminent region in California for pinot noir,” said Ray Denton, wine manager of Binny’s Ivanhoe Castle. “Carneros and the Russian River Valley have their proponents, but I think this is the best cool climate appellation in California for pinot, probably because it’s cooler and gets more cloud cover.”
Timing is everything
Two who have watched the county’s wine industry grow are Richard and Thekla Sanford of the Sanford Winery in Buellton, Calif. As part of a partnership that owned Sanford and Benedict Vineyards, Richard was one of the first to plant pinot noir in the Santa Rita Hills region because he was convinced this traditionally cool-weather grape would do well this far south thanks to the region’s unique topography. Now there are dozens of wineries putting out pinot noir and other wine varietals.
“I’ve gone from pioneer to patriarch,” he quipped. “I need a long gray beard.”
The couple, in Chicago recently for the Wine Spectator’s California Wine Experience show, were delighted that their winery, their tasting room manager Chris Burroughs and one of their wines were all featured in a “Sideways” scene.
Thekla Sanford met Rex Pickett, the author of the book on which the movie is based, nearly two years ago at The Hitching Post, a Santa Ynez valley restaurant (and winery) prominently featured in the film. Pickett told her that the book was not only going to be published but would be made into a movie and that there was a role for the Sanford winery.
Like many others, she didn’t quite believe it. But then, soon enough, the movie crew showed up for shooting. There were people and cables everywhere, but the crew was unfailingly nice, accommodating and neat. The crew even raked the gravel when they were through, Thekla Sanford said.
“Everyone we know is happy about it and excited about it,” she added.
As for “Sideways” whetting the thirst of Chicago-area wine lovers, Sterling Pratt of Schaefer’s in Skokie said he hasn’t heard from customers “thronging to buy the wine that’ll put ’em in touch with their last great fling.”
“But Santa Barbara is one of America’s great gifts to pinot noir,” he added. “Just as Pommard is only part of the pinot noir story, and not the same as Vosne-Romanee, Santa Barbara is part of the New World story for West Coast pinot fanatics.”
Pratt expects the movie will introduce Americans to Santa Barbara wines but “it’s a small step.” Rather he expects the winemakers’ passion for pinot noir, a most difficult grape to grow right, will “win over merlot drinkers and cabernet cognoscenti within our lifetime.”
“Most of the guys making pinot noir in Santa Barbara … wake up every morning dreaming they’re in a section of Burgundy just a few miles west of the Cote d’Or,” he said. “That’s a passion that hopefully shows in the movie and it’s a passion I listen to.”
Smooth drinking
The Good Eating staff loved many of the 10 Santa Barbara County pinot noirs from this informal blind tasting inspired by the movie “Sideways.” The lowest aggregate score was 6.2, a respectable “two corkscrews” rating, while the top wine achieved 8.5, a “3 corkscrews” rating and the highest aggregate score since the Uncorked column began. We couldn’t find all the wines featured in the movie, so we added others from the region. The wines were so, so smooth that drinking them on their own, without food, could be a viable option.
But do try to develop some fall-winter menus to go with the wines. Classic French fare, appropriate given the elegant style of these pinots, immediately comes to mind, as does classic American “company” fare: roasted joints of meat and succulent crisp-skinned birds served up with clouds of whipped potatoes, buttered peas and Parker House rolls.
2002 Byron Pinot Noir
From the Santa Maria Valley appellation comes our top scorer. It charmed with its earthy, woodsy scent and dark ruby color. The wine offered a very round, pleasant profile with flavors of cooked fruit and spice. “Give this pinot an Oscar,” one panelist wrote.
$16 (3 corkscrews)
2003 Melville Pinot Noir Estate
The winery, located in the Santa Rita Hills appellation, uses all 11 pinot noir clones it has planted. The fragrance is piney, with a hint of mushroom; the color is an intense ruby red. The flavor is smooth and well-balanced with notes of berries enlivened by a pinch of black pepper.
$27 (3 corkscrews)
2002 Sea Smoke Southing Pinot Noir
This Santa Rita Hills wine had a peppery, cherry flavor and a hauntingly smoky berry aroma. Beautifully balanced, the wine manages to be both softly smooth and intelligently structured.
$46 (3 corkscrews)
2001 Sanford Pinot Noir, Sanford & Benedict Vineyard
Panelists liked this wine from the Santa Rita Hills, citing its deep earthy flavor, incenselike aroma and intriguingly spicy flavors. “Sassy but disciplined,” one taster raved. Another panelist was cooler: “A good, if less complex pinot.”
$43 (2 corkscrews)
2000 Foxen Pinot Noir, Bien Nacido Vineyard
From Santa Maria Valley comes a wine that, in the words of one taster, was “a knock-you-to-your knees pleasure.” There were notes of citrus and lavender and a silky finish. But not all panelists were sold on it. “Pleasant, a bit light,” wrote one.
$40 (2 corkscrews)
2001 Rusack Pinot Noir Reserve
This Santa Rita Hills wine was colored a deep red, smelled of smoke and incense and, depending on the taster, a flavor ranging from “not very exciting” to “bright, sprightly berries.”
$29 (2 corkscrews)
2001 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Mt. Carmel Vineyard
From the Santa Ynez Valley, this harmonious pinot was rather understated, with its berry flavor rounded out with notes of oak.
$50 (2 corkscrews)
2001 Santa Barbara Winery Pinot Noir
“This baby has an edge,” one panelist said of this Santa Ynez Valley wine. Cherry notes usher in the flavor, which finishes with a pleasant spiciness. The wine is soft but structured, with some bright touches of black pepper.
$16 (2 corkscrews)
2000 Longoria Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard
Most tasters liked this Santa Maria Valley wine but differed on how much they liked it. Those who praised it talked of its smooth, long finish, soft berry tones and a flavor where “spicy cloves mix with rose petals.” One panelist dissed the wine’s “off taste” and “abrupt” finish.
$30 (2 corkscrews)
2000 Fess Parker Pinot Noir
This Santa Barbara County wine seemed somewhat over-the-hill to some, but those who liked it wrote of “yummy” berries, good spice and a nice finish.
$18 (2 corkscrews)
— B.D.
Sources: We found these wines at Binny’s Ivanhoe Castle, Sam’s Wines & Spirits, The Artisan Cellar, Schaefer’s in Skokie, Antioch Armanetti’s in Antioch. Not every wine may be in stock at your local stores; prices may vary from store to store. Prices are rounded off.
(4 corkscrews) Excellent
(3 corkscrews) Very good
(2 corkscrews) Good
(1 corkscrew) Fair
(No corkscrews) Poor
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Hear Bill Daley on WBBM Newsradio 780 at 6:21 p.m. and 10:22 p.m. each Tuesday and 7:52 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.
